Tête-à-Tête
by RageRunsStill
Summary: The conversation between Ned and Ted the night before Sinead goes to the Gauntlet... When they decide to sneak onto the ultralight. / One-shot, full dialogue


"Ted? Hey, Ted? You awake?"

"Ugh... I am now. You know, typically you don't shake someone awake to ask if they're sleeping."

"Yeah... funny how that works."

"Heh heh, yeah, _funny_. That's just what I was thinking as my REM sleep was interrupted. Which begs the question: How come you can wake me up at ungodly hours, but I can't even wake you up at ten in the morning?"

"Because you're a morning person, and nothing is worse for us non-morning people than getting woken up by someone who's _way_ too happy that early in the morning."

"I wouldn't call ten AM 'early.'"

"You say 'tomato,' I say 'barf.'"

"There better have been a reason for you waking me up, Ned; and I don't mean just to annoy me."

"There was..."

"And? What was it?"

"..."

"Ned!"

"What?"

"Answer me!"

"I just... I can't sleep, okay?"

"Another headache?"

"A dull ache, but nothing I can't handle. That's not what's keeping me up."

"Then what is it?"

"I... I'm worried about Sinead."

"... Me too."

"What?!"

"I said, I'm worried about Sinead, too. She's getting so worked up about this Clue hunting business... She swears she's doing it for us... And truthfully, as much as I'd like to have my sight back, I'm not sure I would take the serum if it was sitting right in front of me."

"So you've been thinking along the same lines I have?"

"I guess."

"Although, there's more to my worries. For example, what if the serum doesn't cure us? And what about the side effects? I mean, technically speaking, after so many generations of Cahills, the serum should be almost gone from our DNA; and yet the Lucians are still amazing spies, the Tomas can still bench-press three times their weight, the Janus still wield a paintbrush better than a fork, and the Ekaterinas are still producing geniuses, obviously. What can possibly be so potent that it can stay in a bloodstream that long?"

"... You've given this way more thought than I have."

"I'm just worried. After all we've been through, if Sinead does happen to get the serum... I would feel bad to dig my heels in and refuse to take it. But on the other hand, I like my head on my shoulders, and working properly... if a little painfully."

"But there's something else you forgot to mention."

"What's that?"

"What if... What if Sinead only _thinks_ she's fighting for us?"

"I'm not sure I follow you."

"Think about it! She's so convinced she's trying to get us the serum so we can be cured, but what if, deep down, maybe even so deep she doesn't know it's there, she's never been planning on giving us the serum?"

"Would Sinead do that? Keep it all to herself? Lead us on?"

"She might. You never know what goes on in her head."

"So, then, what would be worse? Her getting the serum and making us take it, or her getting the serum and taking it herself?"

"I guess that's an enigma we'll never solve, because whatever happens, the other option will probably look better."

"..."

"..."

"Does that mean we won't take the serum either way? Be it because we refuse or because we were never given the chance to decline?"

"I guess. I just really hope it's the first one. I would hate to let Sinead down, but it would almost be worse if she let us down."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What time is it?"

"Two in the morning."

"Too bad. I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep now."

"Sorry, Ted. Maybe I should have just let you sleep. No point in us both being half dead in the morning."

"No, no... It's kind of nice knowing that you're thinking the same thing I was."

"Even if I waited until two AM the day before Sinead heads to the Gauntlet to tell you?"

"Yes, even though."

"Wow. Is this what it's like to talk without breaking into a fight?"

"You're an idiot."

"Ahh, just like the good old days in Oak Bluffs."

"Speaking of Oak Bluffs, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That when Sinead leaves after breakfast to go to the Gauntlet, you and I fly back home and pretend this whole thing never happened? … I take it your irritated expression means 'no'?"

"Yes, Ned, it means no."

"Okay... So what were you thinking, then?"

"That we sneak onto the ultralight before she takes off."

"Really? Wow, that's almost stupid enough to be my idea. Why the sudden longing to break the rules, Ted?"

"I don't think it's fair that Sinead told us to stay here. I mean, _I_ can still think without a headache – after all, I figured out the disk that led to the Gauntlet! And you can see. Between the two of us, we're still a force to be reckoned with, still a team. The Starlings have always done things together; I don't think a little bit of pain, loss, and fiery explosions should change that."

"..."

"Ned?"

"That's great, Ted. I love that. It's like poetry."

"Then why are you being so quiet? Usually you're a bit more talkative than that."

"I was just thinking... What if something goes wrong? If I get a headache or something, I won't be able to protect you, nor vise versa."

"Hey, don't talk like that. Nothing is going to go wrong."

"You can't be sure."

"Seriously, though! I mean, is someone going to come into the ultralight, and you're going to hide but I can't see so they find me and... I don't know... tie me to an explosive and use me to threaten Sinead into telling them all the Clues they think we have but really don't, yet they don't believe Sinead when she says that, so they threaten to kill me, and then you sneak out of the ultralight in an attempt to save me just as a migraine comes on and someone else altogether ends up saving us both?"

"Hahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

"Yeah, I guess that does sound pretty ridiculous when you put it that way."

"So, what do you say? A little B&E for Team Starling?"

"I don't really think it's B&E if you own the aircraft, but okay. For Team Starling!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Hey, Ted?"

"Ugh...What is it _now_?"

"... I love you."

"... I... I love you, too, Ned. Sleep tight."

"You too, jerk. You too."


End file.
